Invisible Workforce: A Socio-Economic Study of Women Labourers in Brick Kilns of Thoubal District, Manipur

Mohammad Jamir Sahidi; Rajiya Shahani

Invisible Workforce: A Socio-Economic Study of Women Labourers in Brick Kilns of Thoubal District, Manipur

Author(s)	Mr. Mohammad Jamir Sahidi, Dr. Rajiya Shahani
Country	India
Abstract	Despite being an essential component of the informal economy, women labourers in brick kiln industry are sometimes overlooked in discussions of policy and academia. They balance domestic duties and financial survival while performing demanding manual task in unsafe conditions. Women are frequently forced into labor intensive, low paying, physically demanding and socially unacknowledged jobs in areas with persistent poverty, low levels of education and limited opportunities for employment. The purpose of this study was to understand the socio-economic conditions, reason of taking up this jobs, nature of work and health issues faced by women laborers, as these realities are rarely documented despite their significance for the local economy and family survival. The study is based on primary data collected through fieldwork from twenty women labourers working in brick kiln industry located in Thoubal District. In order to investigate their age, education, marital status, social category, income earn, mode of payment, nature of work, access of basic amenities and use of income, it takes descriptive approach. The results of the study shows that the workforce is extremely vulnerable. Majority of the women labourers are married and comes under the middle age group, most of them are from OBC(Meitei) and they earn an income between Rs 300-600 per day, many of them are also reported of no fixed income i.e irregular income. Most of the, lived in kutcha house and they also reported of access to basic amenities. Their primary task includes loading, molding, stacking and cleaning which can lead to major health issues like back pain, shoulder and knee discomfort as well as respiratory difficulties. Most of these women didn’t possess labour card because of these they did’t get any government social security benefits. Majority of the women engaged in this job to help their husband since husband income is not enough to maintain their family. The study concludes that women labourers work under the circumstances of economic insecurity, physical strain, and limited social protection. It draws attention to pressing need for equitable pay, health protections, robust welfare assistance and increased acknowledgement of the women’s work in the unorganized sector.
Keywords	Informal sector, women labourer, brick kiln industry, social security, socio-economic condition
Field	Sociology > Economics
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-05-11

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Invisible Workforce: A Socio-Economic Study of Women Labourers in Brick Kilns of Thoubal District, Manipur

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